South Arkansas Community College recently received a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration in the amount of $235,620. The Health Care and Other Facilities funds will be used to help with the construction of a 38,378-square-foot health sciences building that will house all of the health programs offered by SouthArk.

Since 1998, assistance provided under HHS appropriations has supported the construction, renovation and equipment needs at facilities such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, research centers, drug-abuse centers and college academic programs through the HCOF earmarked program. Funding is limited to earmarked entities and the purposes identified in the annual HRSA appropriation.

The total estimated project cost for the new SouthArk building is $8,914,868. Approximately 80 percent of the project cost—an amount of $7,179,278—will be financed by non-governmental sources. The $235,620 federal funding award totals approximately 3 percent of the total costs of the building.

“It is through Congressman Mike Ross’ efforts in this special congressional appropriation and his commitment to higher education that SouthArk was designated as a recipient of these funds,” SouthArk president Dr. Barbara Jones said. “They will help enable us to provide quality training for health-care professions in a state-of-the-art facility.”